Chapter 1
"Mrs. Sterling? We've paged your husband four times."
The young nurse glanced at her tablet.
"His assistant says he's presiding over the Children's Hospital benefit gala tonight and cannot be disturbed."
I looked down at my cast. My throat felt dry.
"My leg is broken. Please keep trying." I whispered.
The nurse let out a soft sigh of annoyance.
My fingers shook as I unlocked my phone. I didn't call Arthur. Instead, I opened Instagram.
Sophia Hayes’s latest post filled the screen—the childhood friend my husband claimed was "just a sister."
The photo showed a candlelit alcove at L'Espalier downtown.
Arthur looked as though he belonged there.
Sitting between them was Lily—the girl I had legally adopted and raised since she was a toddler.
All three of them were smiling, holding up crystal flutes of sparkling cider.
Sophia’s caption read: [Some women give birth. Some women become mothers. #Anniversary #TrueHome]
Beneath it, my twelve-year-old daughter, Lily, had commented: [I asked Aunt Sophia to come to Mother’s Day at school instead of Chloe this year! The best night ever!]
My thumb stopped scrolling.
Today wasn't Sophia's anniversary.
Today was our seventh wedding anniversary.
I had sacrificed my daily presence in the design world to build a family, only to be erased with a single social media caption.
The curtain yanked back. Arthur strode in.
He didn't look worried. He looked annoyed.
The nurse’s face flushed with a bright smile.
"Mr. Sterling! Thank goodness you're here. We know how busy you are with the benefit tonight."
"Of course," Arthur replied, offering her a warm smile.
"Thank you for looking after her, nurse. I'll take it from here."
The moment the nurse slid the curtain shut, Arthur’s smile vanished.
He adjusted his watch. "Chloe, what is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have an ER nurse disrupt a vital board meeting? You completely ruined Lily’s night."
"Ruined her night?" My voice shook.
"Arthur, I fell from a scaffolding. My leg is broken. And you were out celebrating our anniversary with Sophia."
Arthur let out a slow, patronizing sigh.
"The doctor explicitly told me your injuries aren't life-threatening. Yet, you are using it to manipulate everyone. Do you know how hard Sophia cried at the table because she thought you hated her for trying to cheer Lily up?"
"Look at her caption, Arthur!" I choked out, holding up the screen.
Arthur leaned over the bed, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "You need therapy, Chloe. Your jealousy has become pathological."
He didn't look at my X-rays.
He didn't kiss my forehead.
He simply picked up his briefcase, his face hardening into a smooth mask.
"I’m heading back to the house to comfort our daughter. I suggest you spend the night thinking about what you've done."